


Now Turn Away

by Copperstown



Category: Teen Wolf (TV) RPF
Genre: Angst, Cancer, Family Feels, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Major Illness, i may have forgotten some...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2286117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copperstown/pseuds/Copperstown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dylan is diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now Turn Away

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the song "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance, because choosing the title from that song seemed appropriate.
> 
> My cousin got diagnosed with Hodgkin's about two years ago, which is part of what inspired this story. I would never write about cancer from the sick person's point of view, because I know nothing about that, but I do now know a little about what it's like to see someone you love have cancer, and what it's like to hear about their struggles.
> 
> Also, fun fact: Dylan's doctor is Tsunade from the anime/manga Naruto. If you're familiar with it, you'll know.

Dylan finds the knot on his throat in February, a few weeks before they start filming season four. He jokes around about it in the days up to his doctor’s appointment, but it’s pretty clear he’s nervous. It’s also pretty clear that even though he has considered pretty much all the options, he’s not taking the worst options into serious consideration.

Posey can’t really fault him for that. If he found a knot on his throat, he probably wouldn’t want to consider cancer too much.

His doctor refers Dylan to a specialist, and Posey goes with him to see the specialist a week later. Said specialist, Dr. Tsunade Senju, does a lot of tests and tells him that unfortunately they won’t have his results for a few months.

In her office, Dylan is serious and subdued. He pays close attention to everything she says, and when she says that there’s a very real possibility that he could have some kind of cancer, he goes deathly pale and just nods. He also just nods when Dr. Senju lists a bunch of things it could also be. He doesn’t joke around, he just sits there and listens. He hardly even says anything, especially once she’s done doing tests.

They go back to Dylan’s apartment afterwards, and while they make dinner, Dylan relaxes again and starts joking and laughing.

In the few months it takes to get his results, Dylan isn’t overly worried or upset about getting the results. He acts like he always does, and when people ask him about it he just shrugs.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” he says. “It might just be mono or something, so let’s not get all weepy just yet.”

.

Dylan gets the results on April 10th. He gets a call on April 9th, asking if he can come down the next day to get his results, and he says yes immediately.

Posey goes with him again, because if this is bad news, then he doesn’t want Dylan to be alone when he gets them. Dylan doesn’t ask him to come, but it’s obvious that he’s relieved when Posey offers.

They sit down in Dr. Senju’s office, and Posey feels dread settle heavily like lead at the sight of her somber face.

That can’t be a good sign.

“I hate being the bearer of bad news, but I’m not going to beat around the bush here,” she says. Posey holds his breath. _Bearer of bad_ news is definitely not a good sign. “Your tests showed that you have Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

And Posey lets out the breath he was holding harshly. He looks over at Dylan, who is completely frozen.

“Lymphoma as in,” Dylan starts. He visibly swallows and licks his lips. “Lymphoma as in… as in _cancer_?”

“I’m afraid so, yeah,” Dr. Senju says. She’s got sympathy and sorrow written all over her face. “You have cancer.”

“Oh my god,” Dylan whispers. Posey’s hand flies from his lap and grips Dylan’s wrist tightly. Dylan’s other hand comes up to cover his mouth. He quickly goes pale and starts shaking, and all Posey can do is grip his wrist even tighter, because _oh god no_.

Dylan has cancer. Sweet, funny, ray-of-sunshine Dylan has _cancer_.

“But fortunately, Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the least aggressive types of cancer we know of, and it has a survival rate of 95%,” Dr. Senju says. It makes breathing a little easier for Posey to know that his best friend has a high chance of survival, but Dylan still looks on the verge of a panic attack. “And we caught it fairly early, as far as I can tell, so you’re going to be fine. We’ll give you a chemotherapy treatment, once every two weeks that you’ll be starting next week. It’ll last for about eight months, if all goes well, and then we do some more tests that should hopefully show that you’re fit and healthy again.”

Posey’s not exactly sure how much of what she’s saying Dylan actually registers, but he remembers everything so he can relay it to Dylan again later, if need be.

Dr. Senju gets Dylan a glass of water, and once she’s satisfied that he’s breathing okay and paying attention to her, she goes on to explain in more detail what will happen and what the chemotherapy will entail, including the side effects.

When she mentions that it might be best if Dylan isn’t alone after the chemo, Posey looks over at him and says, “You can stay with me and Seana for as long as you need, man.”

Dylan nods slowly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It almost makes him look even more devastated.

.

When they get back to Posey’s car, Dylan has a panic attack.

It’s not the first time Posey’s seen Dylan have one, but he can also count the amount of times he has on one hand, so he’s not exactly a seasoned expert on how to help or how to deal with it. He’s also never had a panic attack himself, so he can’t even relate or anything. All he can do is what Dylan tells him to, so he holds his hands and helps him regulate his breathing.

It takes Dylan several minutes to calm down again. When he does, he starts crying. Posey pulls him into a tight hug over the center console.

“I’m here for you, bro. I’m here,” he mumbles in Dylan’s ear over and over again. It’s all he can do.

Because Dylan has _cancer_.

.

The day after Dylan’s appointment with his specialist to get his tests, he asks all the cast members and close crewmembers of Teen Wolf to gather for breakfast, so he can tell them the results. He even asks Colton, Crystal and Daniel to show up as well.

His eyes are red and he looks upset and tired, and Posey doesn’t look much better. Whatever news Dylan got yesterday, Hoechlin is willing to bet everything that it was _bad_.

“So I got my test results yesterday,” Dylan says, eyes fixed on the table in front of him. “I have Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

Oh. Shit.

Hoechlin takes a deep breath and rubs a hand over his hair. He sees similar reactions all around the table. Lymphoma is one of those things where the chances generally aren’t very good, isn’t it? “The good thing is, it has a survival rate of 95%, so I have pretty good chances of a swift and full recovery,” Dylan continues. Hoechlin feels just a little bit of relief at that, because a 95% survival rate is a great survival rate. “They’re gonna start me on a chemo regiment next Monday. I’ll get chemo every second week for about eight months, and then with a little luck, that should be it. But the chemo’s gonna make me pretty sick and nauseous, so I probably can’t work those weeks.”

“Are you gonna be okay on your own then?” Jeff asks.

“I’m gonna go by and check on him after his chemo,” Posey says immediately. Clearly, he and Dylan have already talked about this. “And when it gets too bad, he’s gonna come stay with me.”

“Gets too bad?” Holland echoes.

“Yeah, the longer down the line I get, the more nauseous I’m gonna be after the chemo. And it’s gonna last longer,” Dylan replies.

“I’ll come by and help you out as well,” Hoechlin says. He can’t stand the thought of not doing anything to help.

“Thanks,” Dylan mumbles. He’s smiling though, so he means it.

“We’ll work your shooting schedules around it, don’t worry,” Jeff says, and he clearly doesn’t mean just Dylan’s work schedule. He means all of them.

When Dylan’s done explaining exactly what will happen, and when he and Jeff are done working out the details of Dylan’s work, they all get up and get ready for the day.

Dylan doesn’t want everything to change, so work today will continue as normal.

When they get up, Hoechlin pulls Dylan to his chest in a tight, almost desperate hug. It’s as much a comfort to Hoechlin himself as it is to Dylan, because holy fuck, Dylan has _cancer_.

He’s always been like a little brother, except with less sibling arguing. Hoechlin never wants to see him hurt or upset.

And now he has cancer.

.

They get less done that day than they’d wanted.

Despite Dylan’s wish to just keep to the day’s plan, they all have a little trouble focusing, and that includes Dylan. They do get a few scenes shot, but less than what they’d planned, because everything just takes a little longer. They’re all great actors, and they can stay in character even when there’s hard stuff going on in their personal lives, but knowing that one of them has Hodgkin’s lymphoma is something that they can’t fully shake off in just a few hours.

No one comments on it. It’s not the first time they haven’t gotten everything done, far from it.

It’s maybe the first time the entire cast and crew are having a bit of an off day. But nobody comments on that either.

After work, Hoechlin kind of doesn’t want to just leave Dylan to go home. He wants to stay close by, at least for a little longer, and he’s not the only one.

The cast ends up going out for dinner together. Colton, Crystal and Daniel go with them as well.

They keep the atmosphere light and cheery and don’t talk about Dylan’s cancer even once. They talk about work, swap horror stories and jokes. They don’t actively avoid or skirt around Dylan’s cancer, but they don’t bring it up and they don’t talk about things of the same nature.

Dylan seems to appreciate that a lot.

.

The day of his first chemo treatment, Posey and Hoechlin both go with him to the hospital to keep him company. They don’t really know what to expect, what the procedure is like, or what will happen. Dylan likes that they’re both there for him. Posey likes that Hoechlin is there so he’s not the only one at the hospital with Dylan.

The chemo treatment takes most of day to get through.

Basically, Dylan sits in a recliner with a drip attached to his arm and a blanket over his legs. He gets cold when the chemo trickling down the line reaches his vein, and he holds Posey’s hand almost the entire time.

At his pleading request, Hoechlin and Posey tell story after story to distract him from what’s happening.

When Dylan’s finally done, it’s time for dinner. Dylan, however, is too nauseous to eat anything, and the sight of him, pale and tired, is enough to make any hunger Posey felt leave immediately.

About halfway on the drive back to Dylan’s place, he throws up.

“Stop the car,” he says suddenly, holding one hand in front of his mouth. Hoechlin pulls the car to the side as quickly as he can without breaking the law or crashing into anyone. He’s hardly pulled to a full stop before Dylan wrenches the door open, leans out of it, and vomits.

Posey flinches at the sound. Hoechlin leans over the center console and rubs a hand on Dylan’s back.

“Do you need anything?” he asks.

“Water would be nice,” Dylan croaks. Hoechlin opens the glove compartment and pulls out a bottle, which Dylan takes from him with a breathless “Thanks.”

While he gulps down half the bottle, Posey and Hoechlin share a look. They both feel pretty helpless.

.

Dylan is back to work on Thursday. He looks maybe a little tired, but that’s it. He’d suggested maybe coming back already on Wednesday, but Jeff had told him to take it easy, and Dr. Senju had told him not to expect him to only need a day to get over the chemo.

Filming is the same as it always is, pretty much. There’s nothing different about the way Dylan works, and the others act normal just like he does.

No reason not to.

On Friday, there are official announcements both from Dylan’s people and from Teen Wolf.

Dylan doesn’t want to hide that he’s sick. He doesn’t want to fool his fans, and he doesn’t want the burden of hiding something like that. He wants to be able to talk about it, he wants to be able to go to the hospital without having to sneak in and out.

It only takes a few hours, just enough for everyone to realize that it’s not a joke, it’s official and real, for the fans to react.

#GetWellDylan is trending on twitter by Saturday.

Posey goes on Tumblr, just for fun, and sees a myriad of posts dedicated to Dylan, people talking about how sad it is, sharing research and knowledge about Hodgkin’s, people wishing him good luck and promising to think about him, pray for him, the works. It’s nice to know that people are supporting him.

Dylan is very touched by the messages he receives from the fans. It brings a smile to the face every time he sees something a fan has sent to support him, or when he sees something they’ve posted online.

.

For Dylan’s next chemo, he’s accompanied by his parents instead of Posey and Hoechlin. They’ve come down to stay with him and help him through this round of chemo, which is good because both Posey and Hoechlin have a packed workweek.

They’re trying to make sure that the days where Dylan is well enough to come into work, they only have to film his scenes, so there’s no time wasted.

This time, Dylan comes back Friday, not Thursday. Apparently, the effects of the chemo are already longer lasting.

But it’s getting a lot easier already to just act normal, instead of letting Dylan’s sickness affect their daily lives.

.

Dylan loses his hair not long after his fourth round of chemo.

He’s not particularly attached to it as such, so shaving it off when it starts falling out isn’t something that bothers him in the least. He’s not the kind to cry over losing his hair. But it’s another sign of how seriously sick he is, and that’s enough to make him a little somber.

Posey is there with him when he shaves off his hair. They joke around and laugh about it a little, but when he turns on the clippers, Dylan looks sad.

The sadness doesn’t stick for long, but it does come back in small increments here and there during the day.

After that, Dylan wears a lot of hats.

“Can I ask you something?” Hoechlin asks one day during lunch. Dylan nods, because he has a mouth full of chicken salad and is thus incapable of answering verbally. “Why do you always wear hats? Are you uncomfortable with… you know, being bald?”

Hoechlin looks like he feels awkward bringing it up

Posey can’t really blame him for that.

Dylan swallows his food and shakes his head. “Nah, not really,” he says with a shrug. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed of. I filmed two seasons with a buzz cut, so it’s not like I look totally different from how people have already seen me. It’s just also not anything to be proud of. It’s not like I’ve survived having cancer yet, and having cancer is hardly anything to be proud of in itself. So it’s not something I’m ashamed of or something that I’m proud of, and it’s not like I’m refusing to go out in public without a hat. It’s just also not something I wanna showcase.”

And that, Posey thinks, makes a lot of sense.

If the look on Hoechlin’s face is anything to go by, he thinks so as well.

.

After that fourth round of chemo, it becomes a thing that Dylan has a good week without chemo, and then a bad week with chemo. Because he stops coming back to work at all until a week after his chemo treatment, because he feels to too sick and tired for most of the week, and when he does come back he still seems more tired than he used to.

It’s a good thing that they finish filming season 4 not long after that.

Hoechlin and Posey continue to visit Dylan and accompany him to the hospital for his treatments. Sometimes they both go, sometimes only one of them.

It also doesn’t take too long before it comes to a point where Dr. Senju tells Dylan that he maybe shouldn’t be living alone in the few days after his chemo treatments, so Dylan moves in with Posey and Seana.

Dylan and Posey make a lot of jokes and excited comments about how great it’s going to be to live together again, and “Hoechlin, you’re gonna be so jealous that you’re not joining us again!” and yeah, in some ways, Hoechlin is a little jealous, because they make it sound like it’s going to be so incredibly fun.

But Hoechlin not only knows better, he can also see it on their faces.

They’re excited about living together again for a while, but the reason _why_ they’re living together again is a dark cloud hanging over them, and they are well aware of its presence.

No matter what, they all know that this is because Dylan is sick.

It’s because he’ll be too weak and nauseous to really be able to look after himself properly. He needs to live with someone who can look after him, because he might have trouble doing that himself. And that’s a depressing thought that sort of dampens the excitement that Dylan and Posey have for living together again.

That being said, Hoechlin does sort of wish that he could live with them as well. It had been some of the best time of his life, living with Posey and Dylan. Getting to experience that again wouldn’t be too bad. And also, he wouldn’t mind being able to look after Dylan as well.

.

Dylan can’t be there for all of Comic Con, which makes him pissed.

He has to skip a lot of the fandom cons and arrangements during the summer because they’re scheduled for the same week as his chemo, and thus he won’t feel well enough to go. It makes him annoyed and angry, but he doesn’t fight it. He know that it can’t be helped.

He’s elated when they manage to schedule the Teen Wolf panel for the end of Comic Con, making it just possible for him to be there for that.

It doesn’t surprise anyone when they get questions about how Dylan is doing during the fandom cons.

Dylan had told them all to answer the questions honestly, and just tell people what’s going on.

“I have nothing to hide, and most of the practical stuff they can find out online, anyway,” he’d said.

At the Alpha Con in Vienna, Austria, one of the first questions they get is, “How is Dylan doing now? And how has it all been for you? And please tell him that we’re all wishing him the best of luck and good health, and we hope that he’ll get better soon.”

“Thank you very much, he’ll appreciate that,” Hoechlin replies. It’s him, Linden, Daniel, J.R., and Ian at the panel. Originally, Dylan was supposed to be there as well. “He’s doing well, given the circumstances. He’s getting chemo once every two weeks, and in the week that follows his chemo he’s kind of sick and nauseous, but the next week he’s fine again. And we all look in on him, we’re all there for him. It’s very important to support someone if they have cancer, because they need all the support they can get.”

“He’s living with Tyler Posey for a while, right now,” Linden says. “Because his doctor told him that he might need a lot of help during the bad weeks. So right now, they’re living together again, and they’re enjoying it immensely. They’re pretty much attached at the hip.”

“They made a lot of jokes about how I was jealous because I wasn’t gonna be living with them again as well,” Hoechlin says with a smile. “Which I _wasn’t_ , by the way.”

“Yes, you were,” Ian grins. Hoechlin tries to glare at him, but his face breaks out into a grin instead.

“Alright, I was. Just a little bit,” he concedes.

.

Since Dylan is there for their panel at Comic Con, he can answer the questions about his cancer himself, and he does.

“I’m so grateful to these guys, the cast and crew of the show,” he says when the panel host asks how things have been for him. “I couldn’t do any of this without them.”

“Awwww!” Posey coos. He’s sitting right next to Dylan, so he leans over and wraps broth arms around Dylan. “Oh bro. I love you.”

“Love you too, bro,” Dylan says, hugging Posey back and smiling brightly. When they let go again, he continues as if nothing happened. “Everyone has been so supportive of me, and they’ve all helped me whenever I needed. My parents have been there a lot for me as well. They’ve come down for some of my chemo rounds, and when they haven’t been there, either Posey or Hoechlin have gone with me. Or both. They were both there the first time, and I was so grateful to have them there. Posey even went with me when I got my diagnosis.”

“That’s so sweet,” the panel host says. Posey and Dylan clap each other’s shoulders.

“Yeah, and Jeff was sweet enough to work out a special filming schedule for me when I told everyone,” Dylan says. Jeff smiles at him. “So we’ve worked around my chemo as much as we could.”

“For me, the most important thing was always that Dylan didn’t stress himself, so he’s been given as much time off as needed, we always make sure to ask if he needs a break or anything, and you know, make sure that he’s as comfortable as possible,” Jeff says. “I made sure that on the days Dylan could work, we’d only film scenes that had Stiles in them, so there was as little waiting around for him as possible.”

“Is that how you managed to keep the filming on schedule?” the panel host asks.

“Yeah,” Jeff replies.

“Like I said, I’m so grateful to the entire cast and crew, they’ve been amazing in helping me through all this so far,” Dylan says. The fans shout and coo, but everyone in the panel has known how grateful Dylan is since the beginning.

.

Dylan gets very nauseous after his chemo. It’s one of the first things Posey notices after Dylan moves in with him.

He’d noticed it before as well, when he went with Dylan to the chemo, and when he checked up on him in the days following, but now that Dylan is living with him, it’s something that Posey notices a lot more.

Usually, the nausea lasts about two days, but sometimes it lasts a little longer. During that time, he throws up a few times a day, and Posey _hates_ seeing him suffer like that.

What’s even worse is that once the nausea itself passes, Dylan still isn’t fine.

He’s in pain a lot of the time, he feels weak and sick, and Posey has to help him to the bathroom sometimes because moving makes him wince and whimper in pain.

One night, Posey gets up and goes downstairs to get his book in the living room, and on the way he passes Dylan’s room. Which is empty, because Dylan is a little further away, on his knees, doubled over, one hand clutching his stomach, the other pressed to the wall. He’s panting and whimpering and shaking, and clearly in a lot of pain, and the sight of him in that state breaks Posey’s heart.

He gently helps Dylan up, which makes Dylan cry, and takes him to the bathroom, where he gets something to drink and dry heaves over the toilet for a few minutes.

One small thing to be thankful about is that Dylan doesn’t lose his appetite.

He loses some weight, but not so much that he starts looking like a skeleton with skin or anything. He doesn’t look like a cancer horror story.

Thank god for that.

.

Hoechlin visits a lot. He can’t stop himself.

Colton visits a lot too, he knows, and sometimes they visit together. He knows that Holland goes over sometimes to mother him while pretending not to mother him- Sometimes pretty much the entire cast goes to Posey’s and hang out with him and Dylan, with Dylan lounging on the couch, tired and sick, but happy to see them all, happy that they’re there for him.

But out of all of them, despite how much they all visit, Hoechlin visits the most.

It’s not surprising. Ever since their auditions, the three of them have been so close. The entire cast is like a big, close-knit family, in fact, most of the set is, but Hoechlin, Posey, and Dylan have always been closer, or just close in a different way. Hoechlin has always felt like their older brother, having to look after them while also having great amounts of insane fun with them.

Seeing Dylan sick is awful.

But not being there for him is even worse.

A great thing about seeing Dylan so much is that they also see him when he’s not feeling sick. During the good weeks, Hoechlin can’t even tell that he has cancer, except for the lack of hair. During the good weeks, Dylan has almost the same amount of energy, he doesn’t feel sick at all, and his spirits are high.

During the good weeks, Dylan is normal.

It’s obvious to Hoechlin that Dylan tries his best to be normal and have everything be normal during the bad weeks as well, but it’s a lot harder when he can’t always walk to the bathroom to throw up because it’s too painful to move.

.

In September, the chemo starts being harder on Dylan. The nausea is worse and lasts longer, and Dr. Senju tells him that he’ll feel weaker, more tired, and he’s strongly advised to just stay at home and not do anything too strenuous during the day.

By the time they hit October, Dylan no longer has a bad week with chemo and a good week without. Instead, he no longer fully recovers between chemo rounds.

The realization of that is a hit to Dylan.

Posey and Hoechlin are both there for his chemo, and halfway through it he starts crying, biting his lip to hold back sobs.

“Whoa, what happened? Are you okay?” Hoechlin asks, concerned. He grabs Dylan’s arm and glances at the drip, as if he can somehow see what’s wrong. Dylan just shakes his head and grabs his hand. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I _hate_ this,” Dylan says is in a low, choked voice. “I can’t – I can’t do anything, I’m sick all the time, and it’s only getting _worse_ , and I just – I can’t do this, I can’t –”

“No, hey, _no_ ,” Posey interrupts, shaking Dylan’s leg a little. Dylan just sniffs and looks up at the ceiling. “Don’t say things like that. You can do this, okay? You’re gonna get through this, we’ll be there to help you all the way man, and you’re gonna come out of this with the best results possible, okay? I can so do this. It’s bad now, but it’ll get better, I promise.”

“You can’t promise stuff like that, you’re not a doctor,” Dylan mumbles. He’s still crying, but despite that and despite what he says, he looks less upset.

“You have great odds,” Posey says. “Statistics are in your favor, with the 95% survival rate, and on top of that, you’re young and healthy and fit. I know, I get that it’s tough right now, I mean, I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, but it’s temporary. It’s just for a little while, and then you’ll be fine again.”

His words don’t entirely stop Dylan’s crying, but they do clearly help.

“Oh, is everything okay here?” a nurse asks a few minutes later when she comes by to check on him and sees the tears.

“Yeah, just…” Dylan trails off, not able to finish.

“He’s just a little upset. It’s tough right now,” Hoechlin tells the nurse.

“Okay,” she looks a little unsure, but thankfully, she leaves it be. “Well, just make sure you get plenty of water when you’re done. You need to stay hydrated.”

“Will do, don’t worry,” Dylan tries to give her a reassuring smile, but it’s not as reassuring as it usually is.

Once the chemo is over for the day, Hoechlin pulls Dylan in for a tight hug. Dylan sniffs into his shoulder, and Hoechlin runs a hand through Dylan’s hair with a sigh. He tells Dylan that it’s gonna be okay, but he never says that it _is_ okay.

None of this is okay.

.

Posey has a nightmare about Dylan’s death and funeral that night.

It’s not the first time any of them has had a nightmare about that. The first time was a few weeks in, when Holland had a nightmare about attending Dylan’s funeral, and since then, most of them have had at least one nightmare about it.

But this one feels a lot more real to Posey than any of his other nightmares have.

He wakes up shaking and crying, and hugs Seana close enough that she wakes up an asks what’s wrong.

“Nightmare. About Dylan,” Posey sniffs.

“Oh, baby. Come here,” she wraps her arms around him, and for a few minutes, they just lie there, holding each other. Seana keeps rubbing her hand slowly up and down Posey’s back. It calms him down considerably.

“I’ll be right back,” he mumbles eventually and untangles himself from her and their bed. He goes into Dylan’s room, where Dylan is sleeping, and feels creepy for it, but he stands in the doorway watching him for a while. He feels like there’s a Derek Hale joke to be made about that. It doesn’t stop him.

Eventually he feels like he’s done enough of that, and just as he’s about to walk out again, Dylan mumbles, “Getting your best Derek Hale on, huh, bro?” in a sleepy voice.

The Derek Hale joke is made, and Posey has to laugh a little at it.

“Sorry, dude,” Posey says. He walks over to the bed and sits down on it, Indian style.

“So what are you doing in here in the middle of the very early morning?” Dylan asks, one hand over his head so he can see Posey without straining his neck or sitting up.

“Had a nightmare about you dying and going to your funeral, and it just shook me up,” Posey replies.

There’s silence in the wake of that for a few moments.

“Well that’s cheerful,” Dylan eventually remarks. He’s clearly trying to lighten the mood again, and Posey does snort in amusement, but he’s not sure it’s completely lifted all the tension.

“No worries. It was just a nightmare. It’s not gonna happen,” Posey says defiantly and rubs Dylan’s ankle.

Dylan’s quiet for a moment, and Posey is just about to say something when Dylan finally says, “No, it’s not. It’s just a nightmare.”

Slowly, he sits up and wraps his arms around Posey in a tight hug, and they sit like that for several minutes.

Posey leaves again and goes back to bed when Dylan is about to fall asleep on his shoulder.

.

Dylan’s last chemo is in mid-December. Dr. Senju is optimistic that he won’t feel sick when Christmas rolls around, but he’ll probably still feel tired and a little weak.

“As long as there’s no nausea,” Dylan had said.

They’ve had to postpone filming season 5 of Teen Wolf until Dylan is well enough to work again. There had been some debating that they could film everything that didn’t require Stiles first, and then wait with the rest, but they’d have to wait a few months at least before they could film the rest, and they all agree that it would just work better if they wait. So that’s what they’re doing.

Still, even though they’ve postponed the filming, Jeff still plans a Christmas get-together at his house for the Teen Wolf cast, past and present. So a few days before Christmas, they all descend on his house.

Dylan takes up residence on the couch pretty much as soon as he, Posey, and Seana arrive, and stays there most of the night. Nobody minds, in fact Jeff had expected it, so there’s a blanket and a pillow in case he wants to lie down, and all food and snacks are on the coffee table so Dylan can reach it.

There’s no doubt that Dylan appreciates how Jeff has taken the effects of the chemo into consideration.

.

Posey wants Dylan to stay for as long as he needs, and he’s wary when Dylan tells him that he’s moving back to his own place in late January. He wants Dylan to stay until he’s completely fine again, until they don’t worry about him anymore. He doesn’t want Dylan to go home too soon, but he also doesn’t know when it’s not too soon anymore, because he’s _worried_ about Dylan, no matter what.

“Are you sure you’re ready to live on your own?” Posey asks as he helps Dylan pack up his stuff.

“I’m sure, dude,” Dylan replies with a smile. “I’ve been fine for weeks. I’m still a little tired, yeah, but I haven’t been sick since… around New Year’s, I think. I don’t feel weak anymore, I don’t have any more treatments, I’m just waiting for my checkup and then my results. I’m _fine_.”

“As long as you’re sure,” Posey says. “Cause you can stay here for as long as you want. We don’t mind. We like having you around. You’re welcome to stay longer.”

“I know, dude, and I appreciate it. So much,” Dylan puts down the shirt he was folding and puts both hands on Posey’s shoulders. “But I feel fine. As great as it’s been, living with you again, I wanna get back to my normal, regular life, and that starts with moving back home. And it continues next week when we start shooting again.”

He looks fine and fresh and it’s all very reassuring, in contrast to when he was crying during his chemo, but Posey can’t help but remember that night when Dylan was in so much pain he had collapsed in the hallway.

Still. This needs to happen eventually. No matter how much they love it, they can’t live together forever.

“Alright,” Posey says and pulls Dylan in for a hug. “But you’d better call me every night so I know you’re okay.”

Dylan snorts. “I will, promise. Even though starting next week we’ll see each other every day at work.”

“Oh, shut up and let me be overprotective of you, dude.”

.

There’s applause when Dylan steps onto set for the first time when filming season 5 begins.

He laughs and blushes slightly and tells them all that they’re weirdoes for doing that, but he seems pleased enough.

“You guys do know that I’m not actually off the hook yet, right?” he asks.

“But you’re off the chemo, and you’re feeling good enough to work, which is very much worth the applause,” Arden points out.

Work is great, because having Dylan back on set lifts everyone’s spirits, especially because he looks _healthy_. His hair hasn’t grown out to more than his buzz cut yet, but he’s not thin or pale or anything. It’s been almost two months since his last chemo, and he looks fine.

It’s a relief and a joy for everyone.

.

On April 10th, Dylan shows up to work somber.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Holland asks, stroking his back. It’s pretty clear that she’s worried about it being cancer related.

It turns out that it is.

“A year ago today, I got my diagnosis,” Dylan explains. “I’m fine, and hopefully it’s all over, but… it’s just… it’s been a year.”

He doesn’t need to say more for them to get it.

“Oh, honey,” Holland pulls him in for a hug, and he buries his face in her hair. When she lets go, Posey squeezes his shoulder and pulls him along to the makeup trailer, one arm around him the entire time.

Dylan’s somber mood only lasts the morning, and then gets over it again, and everything is back to normal.

But during the morning, it also affects Posey, because suddenly it’s hard for him to stop thinking about how a year earlier, he was sitting in Dr. Senju’s office with Dylan, waiting for his test results, getting horrible news, comforting Dylan while freaking out on the inside, because _cancer_.

They’d both been terrified. It had been different for Posey, but he’d been terrified nonetheless.

.

Dylan’s checkup is in late April. It’s to determine whether or not he’s in remission now or if things are worse than they anticipated.

When the date finally rolls around, Hoechlin and Posey both go with him.

Posey and Dylan had already made a deal way in advance, but Hoechlin wants to be there as well. He wants to be there to support Dylan, and he wants to be there so he knows what’s happening, without having to sit around at home and wait for them to call him.

Brittany thinks it’s absolutely adorable.

Dylan and Posey both appreciate it.

It’s not that hard for Hoechlin to tell that they both appreciate having him there, because while they’re closer with each other than they are with Hoechlin (purely because it’s impossible for them to be as close with anyone else as they are with each other), he’s still like their older brother. He knows that they think it’s comforting to have him there when either of them has to do something a little unnerving. And they’re like his little brothers, so he wants to comfort them.

So he goes with them.

The tests are pretty simple.

Dr. Senju takes some blood samples, checks his vitals, his weight, and gives his throat a once over to make sure there are no wayward knots forming.

When they leave, she tells Dylan that it’ll only be a few weeks and then he’ll have his results.

.

Dylan gets his results on May 9th, and once again, Posey accompanies him.

“It’s like we’ve come full circle,” Posey jokes as they wait for Dr. Senju to get back with the test results.

“It’s almost poetic,” Dylan says. “But only if my test results are good.”

“Of course they’re good. Why wouldn’t they be good?” Posey asks. Dylan just shrugs. “Come on, we’ll get your results, they’ll be good, and then we’ll meet up with everyone at Hoech’s to celebrate the good news, and then everything will be fine. Trust me.”

“I do, homie,” Dylan says and claps Posey’s shoulder. “But you’re not a doctor, you know nothing about this.”

“I know,” Posey sighs, putting his arm around Dylan’s shoulders.

Dylan’s very nervous.

It’s hard to watch him sweat and stress over what his results will be, but there’s no way for Posey to really help. He can’t make the worries any better, because he doesn’t actually know what he’s talking about, and he also can’t distract Dylan because Posey is worried himself.

Because what if the results aren’t good?

What if –

“Hey Dylan. So sorry for keeping you waiting,” Dr. Senju says as she walks in, thankfully disrupting Posey’s increasingly depressing train of thought. “The people in the lab were less than helpful.” She sits down behind her desk. The smile she’s wearing is pretty encouraging. “I looked at your results, and I am happy to say that you are in remission.”

“Oh my god,” Dylan exhales. He leans forward in his seat, his face in his hands. Posey runs a hand over his back.

He’s in _remission_.

The _relief_.

“There’s no sign of the cancer anywhere in your body now,” Dr. Senju says while Dylan takes deep breaths and Posey holds in a relieved laugh. She seems a little amused. “You’ll need to get a checkup every three months for a couple of years, and then it’ll be every six months, then once a year, and if there’s still no sign of cancer anywhere, then you’ll be declared healthy.”

“But I am technically healthy now, right?” Dylan asks.

“Yes, you are,” Dr. Senju smiles. “Some types of cancer just sometimes reappear after a while, so we keep our patients under close supervision to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But you are now healthy, and you can go about your life just like you used to.”

“Thank you so much, doc,” Dylan says.

“You’re welcome.”

When they leave the office, Dylan and Posey spend a good five minutes just standing in the lobby hugging, because _thank fucking god_.

Dylan is in remission.

.

Hoechlin spends a good few minutes just hugging Dylan when he and Posey arrive at Hoechlin’s house.

As soon as he lets go, Dylan is being hugged by everyone else, because they’re all beyond relieved. Dylan called on the way over and told them the good news.

He got the all clear.

He’s in remission.

“That’s the best news I’ve had all year,” Holland says.

“Believe me, I know the feeling,” Dylan laughs. He’s so happy again, it’s amazing.

“Congratulations, sweetie,” Brittany says, giving him a peck on the cheek. “I am so fucking happy for you.”

“Thank you so much,” Dylan smiles at her, open and warm and relieved.

“So that’s it, you’re done, or are there follow-ups and stuff?” Arden asks.

“Well, since I’m in remission, not completely cleared, I need to go to checkups for many years to come,” Dylan replies and takes a sip of his beer. “I have to go to a checkup once every three months for a few years, then once every six months, then once a year, and then it’ll be over. But I am healthy and everything now, they just wanna make sure that nothing pops up again.”

“We’re so happy for you,” Colton says and wraps Dylan up in another hug.

“It’s so great not having that hanging over my head anymore,” Dylan lets out a relieved sigh. “I almost can’t believe it’s over.”

“Well it is, thank god,” Hoechlin says, wrapping an arm around Dylan’s shoulders. It’s a little hard for them all to stop hugging him. “And now we party and celebrate that because it has been a tough year for everyone, especially you.”

“I am so on board with that plan!” laughter breaks out at that, and it’s one of the happiest, most relaxed atmospheres they’ve had since Dylan got his diagnosis.

.

Dylan decides that the best way tell the fans is to get it over with and to do it personally, so that night, he sends out a tweet that says:

_Remission is a beautiful word #InRemission_

It’s trending within a few hours.

Thousands upon thousands of fans congratulate him. Other celebrities, people they’ve worked with and people they’ve never met, congratulate him.

That night, Dylan also spends an hour on the phone with his parents. He starts crying about fifteen minutes in, and then the tears are on and off for the rest of the conversation. Colton sits with an arm around him for a few minutes at one point, and he’s pretty sure that he can hear Dylan’s parents crying on the other end.

It’s an overwhelmingly happy day for them, and for Dylan, and they all get that.

Colton leans in and gives Dylan’s temple a quick kiss. It’s not the first time he’s done it, far from, so Dylan’s reaction is just to laugh. It’s a small laugh, wet and choked from the tears, but it’s still a laugh.

“It’s okay, it’s over now,” Colton says, and Dylan nods and hugs Colton tightly.

It is over now.

**Author's Note:**

> Another fun fact: May 9th, the day that Dylan gets his results, is my cousin's birthday, which is why I chose that particular day.


End file.
